SAN ANTONIO — At 221 S. W.W. White Road, a large, red and white sign beckons passersby to stop and dine on comfort food for the soul.

That's the call from Mama B's Homestyle Restaurant, which offers customers soul food and seafood dishes that include greens, macaroni and cheese, fried catfish and its signature dish, an almost foot-long Texas pork chop. There's also the popular chicken and waffle plate, and for the serious connoisseur of down-home cooking, chitlins, or chitterlings, which are pig intestines.

And there's a bonus when the cafe's namesake, 72-year-old Audrey “Mama B” Bolton, steps from the kitchen and visits diners to make sure they feel at home.

On Oct. 1, entrepreneur David Bolton Jr. opened the large East Side restaurant in honor of his mother and her cooking. He's combined his experience managing restaurants with a background in multimedia and marketing for what he hopes will be a unique dining experience. “I love my mom,” Bolton, 33, said. “We want customers to taste her food and experience her glowing personality. Mama B's is a place to enjoy a plate of food and a little laughter while you're there.”

His cousin, Eartis Eaglin, the general manager, said they want to ensure diners have a hearty meal. The menu features 10 entrees, 10 sides and four desserts. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

Audrey Bolton is at the restaurant from noon-6 p.m. four days a week, tasting the food as it's prepared and letting the cooks know if something needs a dash of seasoning. David Bolton said his mother still is in disbelief that he'd open a restaurant in her honor.

“I felt good because it was a surprise to me,” she said. “That's a blessing; I didn't think I'd be famous at my age.”

A single parent since her son was 2, Audrey Bolton has worked a variety of jobs at local diners. She spent more than three years at Wyatt's, working every job from salad station to waiting on customers, mixing that experience with years of cooking recipes that originated from her birthplace of Gonzales.

She insisted on serving her son well-balanced meals, a practice he's continued as an adult. He said he loves all of her food, but one of his favorites is chitlins, a soul food staple he's sharing with customers.

“We can't keep chitlins in the place,” David Bolton said. “People may say, 'I don't like that stuff,' but they're eating it up. We make sure to clean them very well, just like at home.”

For Robert and Mary Perez, who visited the restaurant for the first time recently, it was the catfish that got raves.

The Perezes, both 77 years old, sought out Mama B's from their South Side home after a recommendation from his brother, Hector, who lives nearby.

Mary Perez only had one suggestion — Bolton needs to build a place in their neighborhood.

Bolton said he wants to create jobs to help the neighborhood grow and offer residents life-skills training. When he started planning the venture, he sought advice from Army Col. W.C. Garrison, a family friend who shares the same vision to train employees in budgeting and financial skills.

He's trying to create a “home feel, with a greater source of fish,” he said.

“From research, I realized that soul food is a trending topic and what people are searching for,” he said. “Our short-term goal is to expand the existing menu with health-conscious dishes.”

His ultimate goal, Bolton said, is to expand and open Mama B's in five areas in and around the city. When that happens, his mother plans to spend a little time at each restaurant.

And, she said with a chuckle, if the cooks aren't doing what they're supposed to, she's going to give them a hard time.